Japan launches government body to address concerns over foreigners

15/7/2025 13:08

Japan on Tuesday set up an administrative body aimed at easing citizens' concerns over the rapid rise in the number of foreigners in recent years, as policies concerning non-Japanese residents emerge as a key issue in Sunday's national election.



The government said, the body would serve as a cross-agency "control tower" to respond to issues such as crime and over-tourism involving foreigners.



Japan has long sought to maintain a homogeneous population through strict immigration laws, but has gradually eased them to supplement its shrinking and ageing labour force. The number of foreign nationals hit a record of about 3.8 million last year, although that is still just 3% of the total population.



The formation of the administration body comes after a group of lawmakers in Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party in June proposed measures to realise a "society of orderly and harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals".



Those measures included adopting stricter requirements for foreigners switching to a Japanese driver's license and for buying real estate properties.